The good, the bad and the interesting

Let's start with the good.

The Habs signed Latendresse to a 3-year deal today, basically guaranteeing he'll make the team. I've been second guessing this pick after taking him 14th overall in the entry draft this year. It was a pick by the heart, as the opportunity to take a goal scoring, French-Canadian playing for the Habs with the first name of Guy (well, sort of) was too much to pass up. So let's see if he's for real...

The bad
Well it's not the worst thing that could happen... Potulny was sent to the minors. With the retirement of Primeau, I thought the kid had a chance to grab the #4 centre spot with Philly. Not to start the season, but hopefully he'll get the chance as the season wears on.

The interesting
Jack Johnson got traded. First reaction was what a fleecing by LA, and at least I'll get the chance to see him play more with a Western Conference squad. Was that really the best deal out there? But then I got thinking--does Rutherford know something about Johnson that the rest of us don't, besides his commitment to play college hockey this year? Or are the Canes really that desparate for immediate help? I wonder if there's more to this trade than meets the eye.

BTW, yes I still plan to preview the last division. Haven't quite finished it... hopefully this weekend.

RHL16 preview edition - part 3 of 4

We move over to the Gordie Howe Conference in part three of the RHL16 preview edition. This conference was more difficult to predict, as there isn't much separating about 8 or so teams. Expect the standings to be much more condensed than the Richard Conference.

Albany StrapHangers
Projected finish: 1st
34-22-10

Got it: The STR went out and landed prized defenseman Pronger in the offseason, who along with recently-signed Hamrlik, turn the backline into the squad’s biggest strength. With Belfour patroling the blue ice, the STR look to be a tough nut to crack defensively this season. They also have speed to burn on the wings with Friesen, Samsonov, Zednik and Afinagenov.

Need it: While there is no real weak link down the middle, no one jumps out and screams #1 centre. Their best pivots, Halpern and Stefan, wouldn’t even be a lot of team’s #2 guy. Same sort of thing holds true on the wings, as the STR have a bunch of decent wingers but no one that you can point to and say ‘he’ll net 30 and lead this team offensively’.

In: Pronger, Hamlik, Zednik, Halpern, Friesen, Nikolishin, Sweeney
Out: Palffy, Francis, Carney, Ozolinsh, Poti, Mapletoft, J.Green, Pratt

Dollars and cents: While the team offloaded Palffy and his $4M salary, they basically nullified the financial gains from that trade by bringing in Pronger. Projected to finish in the negative, the STR are walking a tight rope this season that could limit what they might do over the course of the season.

RHL16 salaries: $29.3M
RHL15 salaries: $28.6M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘without a doubt’

Bottom line: The STR showed their fans that they are committed to improving this team by being very active on the trade and free agent front. They'll be tough defensively, and if they can find a groove and score enough goals, they could be a team to watch out for this season.

Washington Defiance
Predicted finish: 2nd
34-27-5

Got it: One of the best lineups down the middle in the league with Lecavalier, Zetterberg and Holik. They also managed to beat off the vultures and re-sign team MVP Alfredsson, and expectations are that Raycroft can be as good, if not better, than he was in his rookie year.

Need it: After the aforementioned forwards, along with Kotalik, there is a borderline scary drop off in talent up front. Right now, their 2nd set of wingers is R.Murray and Dackell. The team also lost probably their best 2 defensemen from RHL15 in Visnovsky and Chelios, which is never a good thing for a team.

In: Reichel, R.Murray, Domi, McGillis, Reichel, Tremblay, Cairns, Rivers
Out: Lagenbrunner, Holmstrom, Chelios, Gratton, Weekes, Nikolishin, Wiemer, Martins, Marchment, Grand-Pierre

Dollars and cents: The DEF hit a bit of a wall in the offseason and had to make some difficult decisions. They opted to put all their free salary back into Alfredsson, at the expense of a handful of other players. By signing him to a 1-year deal, the squad will go through the same set of decisions again after this season.

RHL16 salaries: $26.6M
RHL15 salaries: $29.9M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘signs point to yes’

Bottom line: Too many outs and not enough ins could be a tough hurdle to overcome. What will help is having Raycroft and Alfredsson in the mix again. If their stars shine bright enough, the DEF could still find themselves in the thick of things.


Chicago Capones
Predicted finish: 3rd
33-29-4

Got it: With the arrival of Hasek, the CAP seem to be loading up to make a push in RHL17. But don’t expect this year to be a write-off by any means for a team that is always competitive. They only have the #1 forward in the league in Kovalchuk, and a good supporting cast on the wings and on defense.

Need it: Weekes will provide average goaltending, but he is big step down from the stellar play of Roloson. The team will need to adapt their style a bit to compensate for more goals going into the net. Pressure will be on a group of mediocre centres to fill the shoes of departed centres Fedorov and Weight. It is doubtful that Weiss, Spezza and Yelle will step up this season.

In: Hasek, Weekes, Hackett, Juneau, Ronning, Zamuner, Neiminen
Out: Weight, Roloson, Dipietro, Fedorov, Hinote, S.Brown

Dollars and cents: Things are rosy in Chicago. With $8M+ in the bank and a salary under revenue projection even before the playoffs, there isn’t much the CAP won’t be able to do. There will be a glut of defensemen headed for UFA at season’s end (Zubov, Warrener, Devries), but the core players will all be there for a few more seasons at least.

RHL16 salaries: $26.3M
RHL15 salaries: $31.8M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘as I see it, yes’

Bottom line: The CAP are always lurking near the top of the standings, and expect no different in RHL16. A few additions in the right places during the season could push them into contender status, or conversely the team may throw away this year and focus on RHL17.


Cleveland Falcons
Predicted finish: 4th
31-31-4

Got it: The FAL were committed to bringing in talent to start their franchise off, and they managed to find some good players in each position. They have a good couple of lines that should be able to find the net with the likes of Kariya, Bondra, Langkow, Zhamnov and are capable defensively with Jovanovski, Kuba, Chelios and Sydor.

Need it: With the lack of depth talent-wise that is inherent to an expansion franchise, the fact that the FAL have more injury-prone players then average could come back to bite them in the ass.

Dollars and cents: The FAL broke open the bank for their first year, bringing in a handful of big-name players with big-number contracts in the hopes of finding success now. Between their salaries and signing bonuses, the squad will have basically blown all their expansion money by season’s end.

RHL16 salaries: $30.1M
RHL15 salaries: N/A

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘most likely, yes’

Bottom line: The FAL have given themselves a real shot at making the playoffs, and should come out on top of the four new teams to take the RHL16 ‘Expansion Cup’.


Chicago Gargoyles
Prediction: 5th
28-33-5

Got it: A scary 1-2 punch down the middle with Richards and Marleau. Legace will give them solid goaltending almost every night, and the GAR have a great top-4 D with Ohlund, McCabe, Timonen and Stuart.

Need it: While the star power is still there, it’s not quite as blinding as before. The GAR are one of the first casulties of the salary cap era, proving that teams just can’t sustain a team based solely on high-priced veterans for very long. The GAR’s depth is lacking, especially down the middle after Richards and Marleau, as well as on the wings after Sturm and Nolan.

In: Gordon, Sutherby, Sjostrom, Laperriere, Petrovicky, Keith
Out: Smyth, Roenick, Therien, Bayda, Radivojevic, Clymer, Sauer

Dollars and cents: The cap hit the GAR hard, as their bank balance finally caught up to their spending the past few seasons. Not helping matters was the decision to give signing bonuses to McCabe and Ohlund. Looking like they might implode during the offseason, the squad moved veterans Smyth, Roenick and Therien to get their books balanced.

RHL16 salaries: $25.3M
RHL15 salaries: $30.6M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘most likely, yes’

Bottom line: It’s a year of transistion for the GAR, as they have already said goodbye to a handful of key veterans before the season has even started. They still can compete, but watch for a more concerted rebuilding effort as the season progresses should they find themselves not living up to expectations.


Indianapolis 500s
Predicted finish: 6th
19-38-9

Got it: The 500 are in full rebuilding mode now, and their attention is towards RHL17 and beyond. Their top two lines are OK, but certainly not spectacular. Markkanen is capable of providing consistent netminding in his ¾ of a season, and any team that includes the Moose will compete night in, night out.

Need it: Goal scoring will be the 500s Achilles heel this year, as their forwards present little in the way of natural talent around the net. Bertuzzi is a shell of his former self, and the emergence of Cole and Selanne is still a season away. The squad’s defense could be suseptible to being pushed around, as the ‘soft’ outnumber the ‘tough’ on Indy’s backline.

In: Bonk, Cole, Selanne, Visnovsky, Laraque, Karpovtsev, VanAllen, Turek
Out: Rolston, Carter, McLaren, Osgood, Arkhipov, Berehowsky, Khavanov, Abid

Dollars and cents: If the 500 continue on this direction, they will have a nice $8M nest egg going into RHL17 that will give the team flexibility when they look to starting their re-entry into the upper eschelon of the RHL.

RHL16 salaries: $23.0M
RHL15 salaries: $24.2M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘my reply is no’

Bottom line: Don’t expect the players and management to mail in the season, but the 500s could find themselves on the outside looking in come playoff time. Not that this result would be overly tramatic for a team in full-on rebuilding mode.

RHL16 preview edition - part 2 of 4

The second installment looks at what will certainly be an interesting division. There are three teams that all could be considered cup contenders, a very wide gap, then three other teams that will have to deal with the first three more often then they would like.

Saskatoon Funboys
Projected finish: 1st
43-19-4

Got it: After some aignst during the FA auction, the FUN managed to bring back the best defensive pairing in the RHL in Redden and Niedermayer. Some solid supporting pairs give the squad what is probably the best D in the league… which should make life even easier for newly-acquired Roloson, not that he really needs it.

Need it: The FUN are a little thin on the left wing, with Schaefer, Varada and Sedin leaving a little to be desired, but look for some of their centres to platoon on the wing. They also haven’t left themselves with any room to manuever salary-wise, which could make it difficult to address any needs as the season progresses.

In: Roloson, Perreault, Spiller
Out: Hasek, Drake, S.Thornton, C.Adams, Skrastins, Yeats

Dollars and cents: $5.5M over revenue. The FUN have left just enough room in their committed salaries to get through the regular season. Hopefully a long playoff run with replenish the vault, but change is coming to Saskatoon what with Redden, Niedermayer, Guerin, Lindros, Schaefer, Varada and Ferrence set to be UFAs.

RHL16 salaries: $33.0M
RHL15 salaries: $31.1M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘you may rely on it’

Bottom line: With the acquitition of Roloson, the resigning of Redden for one more year and the impending loss of a handful of key cogs in Saskatoon’s machine, it’s now or never. Will it be the year of ‘fun’ in the RHL?

So. Edmonton Sockeyes
Projected Finish: 2nd
41-19-6

Got it: A banner to raise to the rafters on opening night in South Edmonton. The defending champs enter RHL16 as THE team to beat, and they did it by finding the right mix of scoring, defense and intensity. Most teams would be happy to have half their depth on the wings, what with St.Louis, Elias, Morrow, Cheechoo, Mogilny and Knuble on the flanks. They also have one of the best on the point in Lidstrom and in the nets with Nabokov.

Need it: The team lost #1 centre Koivu in the expansion draft, and critics are not as confident that Morrison can adaquately fill that role. The SOC signed Oates and Larionov to address the position, but they’re about a decade too late. They also lost some depth on the point, as they enter the season with only seven defensemen under contract.

In: Mogilny, Oates, Larionov, Suchy, Odelein,
Out: Koivu, Cooke, Sydor, P.Boucher, Robitaille, Brunette, Young, J.York

Dollars and cents: The SOC loaded up last year for a push and it paid off big time. Their salaries have fallen back to a very reasonable level, and with the injection of the maximum amount of playoff cash that comes with hoisting the Kings Cup, look for the team to add pieces as the season progresses.

RHL16 salary: $26.8M
RHL15 salary: $31.0M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘it is decidedly so’

Bottom line: The SOC are at the kings of the castle right now and the usual question is whether they can keep that title or will they become one of the many dirty rascals. They’ve set themselves up to give it a good run again, but only one team will get to represent the conference in the finals… and they have plenty of stiff competition.

Baffin Isle Rovers
Projected finish: 3rd
39-20-7

Got it: There’s plenty of talent to spare for the ROV when P.Bergeron is their 5th line centre. The team will score with anyone out there and could have up to eight or nine 20-goal scorers in the lineup. Only when the 4th line is out for its token 10 minutes will opposing squads get a reprieve from offensive attacks. They will also be able to keep the puck out with a very good top five D and a capable puck stopper in Gerber.

Need it:. They also traded away one of the best defensemen in the game in Pronger, which would leave a big hole on the backline for any team that was able to rely on 30 minutes of consistency night in, night out. With only six natural wingers in camp, it could make for some tricky line juggling to get the right people out when needed.

In: Halpern, Carney, Richardson, Thibault
Out: Pronger, Recchi, Hill, Maholtra

Dollars and cents: The ROV entered the offseason with a heavy payroll, but were able to shed some with a couple of moves—the top of which was moving Pronger and his $5M+ salary. They are now in a much more comfortable range and have put together a deep squad at a reasonable price.

RHL16 salaries: $27.9M
RHL15 salaries: $33.9M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘it is certain’

Bottom line: Winning a championship in year three can create some lofty expectations, but the ROV have managed to meet them. The team will again challenge for a division title and could find themselves going all the way if they play their cards right and they win the arms race with divisional rivals SOC and FUN.

San Diego Aviators
Projected finish: 4th
26-35-5

Got it: The AVI landed their ‘Big Three’ in the offseason, signing Doan, Drury and Schneider to long term deals. They also cleared the way for consistency in net by acquiring a number one guy in Turco. Leetch and Schneider will provide a nice offensive spark from the backend, which should help the powerplay emmensely.

Need it: Depth up front. The AVI have a solid #1 line (Smolinski-Drury-Doan) and a good #2 centre in Walz, but the ranks thin out dramatically after that. Look for teams to try and lean on the top line knowing there isn’t much help after them. Goal scoring could be a challenge this year. Defensively, the unit could be considered soft as Allen is the only one who has brings much physical play to his game.

In: Doan, Schneider, Drury, Turco, Straka, Smolinski, Pyatt, Morrisonn, Sopel
Out: Cole, Jovanovski, Tucker, Cassels, Cowan, Lilja, Salei, Rathje, Brathwaite

Dollars and cents: $1.4M over revenue. For a rebuilding team, the AVI are being fairly liberal with the checkbook and are currently on course to zero out before the end of the season. With the playoffs not an automatic, management is walking a thin line.

RHL16 salaries: $28.9M
RHL15 salaries: $23.9M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘cannot predict now’

The bottom line: Expect the AVI’s limited depth and struggles to score to put them in the group that will need to battle hard to make the playoffs. Results will judge the team’s experiment to try and rebuild through high-priced free agents, while also trying to replenish the prospect pool.

Victoria Cougars
Projected finish: 5th
20-37-9

Got it: Cornerstone to build a new franchise around: check. Brodeur will give the COU opportunities to win games they otherwise shouldn’t. While on the downside of stellar careers, Yzerman and Lemieux should help lead this team in the locker room and give it some direction.

Need it: While long on character, the COU are short almost everywhere else. Goals will be few and far between for the expansion team. Hopefully Brodeur can chip in a couple in this department… the squad’s going to need it.

Dollars and cents: Like their expansion cousins, the COU opted not to hover at the league minimum for salary and spend some dough to try and be somewhat competitive. They have some serious coin tied up in a handful of players, but that is not unusual for an expansion team.

RHL16 salaries: $25.6M
RHL15 salaries: N/A

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘don’t count on it’

Bottom line: It will be interesting to see just how much impact Brodeur can have being the only real player in his prime with talent… one can argue that we already know since playing on the now-defunct Purge was like playing on an expansion team.

Airdrie T-Men
Projected finish: 6th
12-49-5

Got it: The TME sit on the largest bank balance in the league, but seem reluctant to spend it on talent that will make an immediate impact. The squad has a reasonable supporting cast, but unfortunately are asked to play above their level. Grahame was a shining light in RHL15 and will hope to carry this team on his back again.

Need it: Some relief from having to match against the FUN, SOC and ROV many more times than any team would like, especially when a team just doesn’t matchup in talent like the TME. The team could use some help just about everywhere, but the wings are especially devoid of skill, with the exception of S.Kozlov.

In: Robitaille, Svoboda, Kloucek,
Out: Zhamnov, G.Johnson, Kostopoulos, Chistov, Barnaby, Weinhandl, Nieminen, Vorobiev, Mironov, Woolley

Dollars and cents: The league continues to wait for the shoe to drop in Airdrie when management decides to dip into their vast savings to bring in some fresh talent. The team is projected to have $20M to spare by the end of the season, which is an incredible amount given the current financial climate in the RHL.

RHL16 salaries: $21.0M
RHL15 salaries: $29.7M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘very doubtful’

Bottom line: Fans are beginning to grow impatient with a team that doesn’t seem to have a clear vision for where it wants to go. They continue to lay out hard-earned dollars for tickets hoping that the TME will one day rise to the top. Their waiting won’t last forever, and expect a mutiny if fans think the owner is profiting too much at the expense of a competitive hockey team.

RHL16 preview edition - part 1 of 4

Today's installment looks at what can be considered the rebirth of the old Red Green division of the RHL's pre-tiered, six-division days.

Yellowknife Dangerous Penetrators
Projected finish: 1st
44-19-3

Got it: Team YDP can field two very good offensive lines, and coupled with the likes of Boyle, Souray and Kaberle providing some punch from the backend, the squad can score with any team. Watch for their stars to rise to the top of the scoring race again. The team has a good mix of speed, physical prowess and defensive awareness in all positions.

Need it: The biggest thing that seemed to get in the way of team success in RHL15 was chemistry and focus. YDP will need to find ways to win the big game, as well as to stay on task against lesser-thans. The arrival of Boyle helps with the transition game, but the defense overall isn’t considered very quick or mobile. The team still doesn’t have a clear-cut #1 netminder, as they instead will look to rotate three guys and cross their fingers that one will emerge as a reliable starter.

In: Holmstrom, Young, Boyle
Out: Zholtok, Moreau, Letowski, Orszagh, Kuba

Dollars and cents: YDP enters the beginning of the season with one of the top payrolls in the league. The team can afford it what with $10M socked away, but management will not be happy without a deep playoff run to offset some of the costs. Things look like they could change next year when Sakic, Brindamour, Damphousse and Ragnarrson are set to be UFAs ($10.2M)

RHL16 salaries: $32.2M
RHL15 salaries: $32.3M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘without a doubt’

Bottom line: The stars are aligned for YDP talent-wise and they will be expected to produce… now. You get what you pay for, and they must be considered one of the conference favourites. But the same could be said last season when they finished a disappointing 5th in the 2nd tier. Hopefully for YDP followers, the players learnt their lesson and RHL16 proves to be their year.


Lethbridge Selects
Projected finish: 2nd
38-22-6

Got it: The SEL found the right mix of chemistry at the exact right time in RHL15 and found themselves 2 wins away from winning it all. The dependable Hossa and Modin lead the attack up front, while their supporting cast is full of checking, defensively-minded players. While not spectacular, the D-corps are proven winners that can defend by committee with the best of them. Denis is a very capable netminder who flies under the radar most of the time.

Need it: One might wonder where the goals will come from outside of Hossa and Modin, especially with the loss of Zednik and Whitney. The SEL could use another defenseman that can play the PP and start a rush to help take some of the pressure off of Rafalski.

In: W.Primeau, Konowalchuk, Matvichuk, Marchant, Snow, Barnaby, Dimitrakos,
Out: Whitney, Zednik, Numminen, Laraque, Mayers, Heerema, MacDonald, McGillis, Hill, Salo

Dollars and cents: Things looked bleak for the SEL at the end of the RHL15 regular season, but a run to the finals can be a cure to a lot of maladies, including a negative bank balance. On top of the new buffer, the team shed more than $3M off their payroll. Things haven’t looked this good for the SEL’s bottom line in a long time.

RHL16 salaries: $25.3M
RHL15 salaries: $28.5M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘as I see it, yes’

Bottom line: Can the SEL build off a Tier II championship in RHL14 and a magical run to the Tier I finals in RHL15, or will they experience a fall back down to earth? Look for the more of the latter as the team needs some time to recover after hitting the wall financially.

Edmonton Eagles
Projected finish: 3rd
36-22-8

Got it: The EAG's top two lines should be able to find the net with consistency, but they’ll do it by committee instead of with all-star statistics. Also expect the D corps to build off a surprising RHL15 campaign where the team finished 7th overall in goals against. Helping that number this season should be some solid netminding from Theodore. They also brought back original EAG draft pick Ryan Smyth, much to the delight of local fans.

Need it: The EAG stripped out some of their depth in the offseason, which could cause some concern lower in the lineup, especially if the team runs into injury issues. The team needs either Comrie, Conroy or Cammalleri to step up and consistently fill the #2 centre role this season, or find another alternative. The squad continues to be without a true number one on the point who could eat up minutes in all situations.

In: R.Smyth, Modry
Out: Doan, Cullimore, Kvasha, Chubarov, Primeau, Sjostrom, Spiller

Dollars and cents: The EAG were relatively quiet on the auction front, bowing out of the arms race with their previous captain Doan and other targeted players. Management seems content to enter the season well under the level they could be at, especially with $7M in the bank.

RHL16 salaries: $26.3M
RHL15 salaries: $29.2M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘yes’

Bottom line: While still young, the EAG are another year older and expectations are starting to build in the city. Management will certainly preach patience, but they may not be able to use that mantra much longer, especially if the EAG stumble out of the gate.

St.Albert Spartans
Projected finish: 4th
30-32-4

Got it: The reigning NHL MVP in Big Joe Thorton. Thornton will be expected to lead the SPA into the future as they continue to retool. The arrival of Hatcher in the dispersal draft adds an element of toughness that has been lacking on the SPA backend, if he can stay healthy. Biron provides dependable goaltending that will keep the SPA in many games.

Need it: Like most teams in the middle of the pack, depth is the critical issue. The top line will be fine, but Yashin, Reinprecht and Amonte are not what they used to be. And let’s not even talk about the 3rd and 4th units. Bringing Poti in helps the D-corps, but watch out if their injury-prone guys drop for any signifcant stretches. Can Thornton play defense as well?

In: Hull, Hatcher, Poti, Wiemer, Hendrickson, ThomasOut: C.Joseph, Juneau, Lundmark, Bartovic, Renberg, Vaananen, McCarty, Marshall

Dollars and cents: The SPA continue the slow process of re-arranging team finances, which has handcuffed the squad the past couple of seasons. They have shed another couple million off the payroll, and next year looks even better when Shannahan, Amonte and Yahsin become UFAs, freeing up $7.7M in cap space.

RHL16 salaries: $25.4M
RHL15 salaries: $27.8M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘most likely’

Bottom line: The coaching staff needs to squeeze as much as possible out the lineup again if the team expects to finish .500 or better. While they should nab one of the lower playoff seeds, it could be another pins and needles year for fans and management.


Grande Prairie Stingers
Projected finish: 5th
24-35-7

Got it: The GPS were very active in the auction this year, bringing in a bevy of talent to fill some holes at mostly reasonable costs. Rolston, Nedved and Barnes are a nice step up inthe middle from the Peca, Nicols and Robitaille trio of RHL15. P.Boucher, Jackman and O’Donnell provide some teeth to the backline, and the tandem of Giguere and B.Boucher is a good partnership in nets.

Need it: Nash has a big load to carry on the wings… it’s too bad he can’t play both sides at once. Vasicek gives him at least someone to ride shotgun for him, but any semblance of talent disappears after that. The D is tough, but is missing any real offensive punch that can lead the rush or quarterback the powerplay. Injuries could take their toll on the backend as well.

In: Rolston, Nedved, Barnes, P.Boucher, J.Ward, Eminger
Out: Selanne, Peca, Brylin, Dvorak, Cross, Erskine, Nichol, Veilleux, Eaton, Fahey

Dollars and cents: The GPS spent some dough in their first year trying to build a team that could reasonably compete. Problem is when you’re picking from the scraps from all the other teams, salary doesn’t always translate into skill. The squad seems to be taking a different approach this season as they are watching their dollars more closely.

RHL16 salaries: $23.5M
RHL15 salaries: $27.1M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘cannot predict now’

Bottom line: Some prudent money managing and personnel decisions in the off-season should translate into some better results on the ice, while spending less to do so. That said, expectations will still be tempered for this 2nd year team, but watch for all that to change starting in RHL17 when Mr.Ovechkin suits up for the first time.


Winnipeg Freeze
Projected finish: 6th
22-36-8

Got it: The FRE enter the second year of the Iginla era in Winnipeg. Hopefully he can shake off a lacklustre RHL15 campaign and find some decent chemistry with Lang and... (insert player here). The squad’s youth is a bright spot, but the full impact of Hemsky, Ruutu, Roy, Bouwmeester, Pisani and Vanek is still a few seasons away.

Need it: No matter how many goals Iginla and his linemates can score, it won’t alone be enough to win many games. The supporting cast is thin, and outside of Bouwmeester, the defense moves like a bunch of snails on sedatives. Kolzig has always performed well for the Freeze, but he is not the type of goalie to be able to overcome a team’s other shortcomings on his own.

In: Gill, Korolev, Lacouture, Battaglia, T.Nash, Albelin, Hnidy
Out: Perreault, Quintal, Noronen, Moore, Simon, Chimera, Asham, Somik, Salmelainen, Berg, Allison, Odelein, Cairns

Dollars and cents: RHL16 is already deemed a success by the FRE's newly-hired accountants, as the team that has flirted with bankruptcy the past couple of seasons slashed almost $7M off the roster without taking a huge hit talent-wise.

RHL16 salaries: $23.2M
RHL15 salaries: $30.1M

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘better not tell you now’

Bottom line: Expect much of the same struggles for the FRE as they had in RHL15, although on the bright side of things, they are going to do it with $7M less in salary. The financial wreck has been avoided, and the squad can start looking towards the future instead of being handcuffed by the present.

Seattle Crystals
Projected finish: 7th
19-37-10

Got it: A good number one line, if you like throwing all the eggs in one basket. If Heatley can stay healthy, the trio of Koivu, Heatley and Recchi is as good a line as you’ll ever see on an expansion team. The pairing of Smith and Salei will cause grief among opposition forwards, and will be expected to log a lot of minutes.

Need it: If the CRY opt play their three stars together, the 35 minutes or so a game they aren’t on the ice will be a real cause for concern. Joseph and Salo are below average netminders, which can spell trouble for a team that will most likely spend large chunks of time in their own end.

Dollars and cents: The CRY took the middle road salary-wise, neither hovering around the league minimum or going for the gusto and pushing the upper levels. They have the 2nd lowest payroll out the four expansion teams.

RHL16 salaries: $26.9M
RHL15 salaries: N/A

Magic 8-ball playoff prediction: ‘outlook not so good’

Bottom line: The CRY have some good top-end skill, which is always a bonus for the fans of an expansion team who get to watch some of their own talent instead of always looking to see who’s in the visitor’s sweaters. But life is never easy during a team’s infancy. If they can be one of the top two new squads, consider it a successful season.